Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is facing criticism after a passenger’s mobile phone remained stuck inside a Boeing 777 aircraft for 13 days, raising safety concerns about negligence.
The incident happened on July 6 during a flight from Jeddah to Islamabad. A female passenger accidentally dropped her phone into an open air vent under her seat. She recorded a video showing how the phone slipped inside and later shared it online. Despite her repeated complaints, PIA’s engineering team failed to retrieve the phone for nearly two weeks.
The passenger said she informed the cabin crew immediately. And later tracked her phone’s location, noticing it moved with the aircraft on multiple flights. She expressed fears that the lithium-ion battery could have overheated. And caused a fire while more than 300 people were onboard.
Finally, on July 19, PIA engineers removed part of the aircraft’s flooring to recover the phone. PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan confirmed the retrieval, explaining that due to back-to-back flights, they couldn’t access the area sooner. The phone was eventually returned to the passenger, and PIA claims they stayed in contact with her throughout the period.
The passenger and her family have since filed a complaint with the Federal Ombudsman, accusing PIA of negligence and putting passengers’ safety at risk.
While experts say lithium-ion batteries have caused fires on planes in the past, commercial aircraft are designed to handle small incidents like these. However, aviation specialists warn that any such issue should be treated urgently to avoid potential dangers.
